Christopher Rushmore Holman or '''Kim Holman''' (born 28 January 1925 Carbis Bay; died 8 April 2006 Witham, Essex)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1523829/Kim-Holman.html |title=Kim Holman |archive-url= |archive-date= |url-access=registration |work=The Telegraph |date=14 July 2006 |access-date=23 August 2025}} ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fobituaries%2F1523829%2FKim-Holman.html archive])</ref> was a British naval architect and co-founder of the Holman and Pye shipyard.

As a child, he sailed extensively with his brothers on the River Fal and the Helford River in Cornwall, where he was born.<ref name="SMH"/>

He served as an officer in the Royal Navy on a minesweeper during World War II.<ref name="SMH"/>

After the war, he studied naval architecture at the University of Bristol.<ref name="SMH"/>

His early sailing yachts, including ''Phialle'' (his first design in 1955), Stella,<ref name="Rye"/> Twister<ref>{{citation |title=Twister, a childhood dream |work=Classic Yachting, no. 104 |date=July 2025 |page= 16-23 |lang=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.twister.org.uk/ |title=Twister Class Association - For Those That Sail the Modern Classic Yacht |work=Twister Class Association |access-date=23 August 2025 |lang=en-US |archive-date=15 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715135931/https://www.twister.org.uk/ |url-status=live }} ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twister.org.uk%2F archive])</ref> Stirling, etc. were sailboats suitable for regattas on the east coast of England, but also for the open sea. Some 100 Stellas were built<ref name="Rye">{{cite web |author=Rye, Theo |date=21 February 2017 |url=https://www.classicboat.co.uk/articles/design/great-yacht-designs-10-stella/ |title=Great yacht designs 10 - the Stella |work=Classic Boat Magazine |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> and more than 200 boats were built based on the Twister design.

In 1961, he partnered with Don Pye to create the Holman and Pye shipyard<ref name="SMH">{{cite web |author=Steffan Meyric-Hughes |url=https://www.classicboat.co.uk/articles/the-life-and-designs-of-kim-holman/ |title=The life and designs of Kim Holman |work=Classic Boat Magazine |date=28 November 2013 |access-date=22 August 2025 |lang=en-US}} ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.classicboat.co.uk%2Farticles%2Fthe-life-and-designs-of-kim-holman%2F archive])</ref>

In the following years, he designed the Sovereign,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/super-sovereign/ |title=SUPER SOVEREIGN |work=sailboatdata |access-date=23 August 2025}} ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsailboatdata.com%2Fsailboat%2Fsuper-sovereign%2F archive])</ref> then the Whiplash, Casino, Shaker, Centurion 32, etc.

He designed more than 70 boat plans, which were used in the construction of more than 700 sailboats; Holman and Pye went on to have over 4,000 boats built.<ref name="SMH"/>

==Personal life== In 1968, Kim Holman was depressed to see boats becoming more efficient but less aesthetically pleasing and comfortable, which was very important to him.<ref name="SMH"/> He left Great Britain and sailed less. In 1970, he suffered a stroke. In 1980, he moved to the Caribbean and resumed sailing.<ref name="SMH"/>

He lived with Lionel Blue from 1962 to 1982, then with Jim Mignotte<ref name="FN">{{cite web |title=Click here to view the tribute page for Isaiah Emmanuel Jim MIGNOTTE |url=https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/mignotte/3637087 |website=funeral-notices.co.uk |access-date=25 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref> from 1982 until his death in 2006;<ref name="SMH"/> Mignotte died in October of that year.<ref name="FN"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://sailboatdata.com/designer/holman-kim/ List of boats designed by Kim Holman] ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsailboatdata.com%2Fdesigner%2Fholman-kim%2F archive]) * [https://sailboatdata.com/designer/holman-pye/ List of boats designed by Holman & Pye] * [http://www.stellasail.org.uk/ Stella Class Association] * [https://www.twister.org.uk/the-twister/ Twister Owners Association] ([https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twister.org.uk%2Fthe-twister%2F archive])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holman, Kim}} category:Naval architects category:2006 deaths category:1925 births